The invention described relates generally to an internal combustion engine, including a rotary engine, that may operate at elevated temperatures, retains heat and does not require substantial cooling.
An ideal material for an internal combustion (IC) engine should possess four properties. One, to be able to operate at sufficiently high temperatures to burn fuel completely and efficiently. Two, to be able to retain heat inside the combustion chamber. Three, to be able to operate in the hot, humid and corrosive environment of the IC engine while maintaining its mechanical and structural integrity. Four, to not require fluid (water or oil) cooling; water cooling not only extracts or draws out valuable heat from the combustion chamber wall but also creates and maintains a cool flame-quenching zone at the chamber wall, both of which reduce engine thermal efficiency approximating at least 25% to as much as 60% of the energy contained in the fuel.
Metal internal combustion engines are typically made from cast iron, steel or aluminum which generally have melting points lower than 2900 degrees Fahrenheit (1600 degrees Celsius). Such engines require fluid cooling to prevent deformation or localized melting of the engine material. Water and oil cooling causes metal engines to operate at temperatures well below the thermodynamic efficiency of the fuel combustion process. Furthermore these metals have relatively high thermal conductivities which mean that engines made from these metals readily lose heat reducing their thermal efficiency too. Metals are therefore not ideal engine materials.